"The blues is a mode of being in the world, an existential stance, a way of grappling with the catastrophes of life."

"We must never give up on the possibility of radical change."

"I'm a blues philosopher, a melancholic optimist."

"We live in a moment in which there is a courage deficit. People want to be popular and comfortable. They don't have the courage to tell the truth."

"Everybody's smiling while folks are getting crushed down here!"